Flowering (FULL) Shade Vine

nepentheMay 18, 2010

Alright, I've seen a lot of posts about flowering vines for shade, only to find they are discussing areas that still get a few hours of sunlight.

What I am looking for are flowering vines with a climbing (rather than ground cover) habit that will be at least somewhat content in full shade on the North side of my house. I live in the Puget Sound region of Washington state, and aside from some semi-bright indirect light, there is not a time when direct sunlight would ever hit any part of the future plant. I am also hoping for the vine to flower non-white- my house is essentially white and I'm looking for some good color to liven up this shady area that won't end up blending in with the house. Does anyone have any flowering vines that've performed well for them in full shade?

I was looking for the same thing this year. There are some roses that are supposed to bloom on a north facing wall..Madame Alfred Carriere, Mermaid, Souvenir Du Docteur Jamain, and possibly New Dawn. Lonicera may be fine too depending on the variety since most are vigorous growers & fragrant (I have one that faces north & gets some refracted light..does well there). There's always Climbing Hydrangea...and Silver Flea Vine (but that might be invasive so check it out!). Other than that I didn't have much luck other than the usual ivy varieties, pyracantha, etc. I did hear something about schisandra chinensis doing well in shade. While the flowers are supposed to be insignificant it does produce beautiful red berries that have medicinal properties and are edible and are pretty to look at. I read some great experiences and some not so great experiences with it in shade. So I figured I'd try it....I purchased a small plant from Logee's & put it in my fully shaded north facing spot back in early April. It has not taken off yet - as a matter of fact it looks only slightly larger than the size when I put it in the ground...but still healthy. I can keep you posted. But in the meantime, if you find anything - let me know! Best of luck! :-)

There is a difference between full shade and no direct sunlight.....a BIG difference :-) Indirect light, like the north side of many structures, will work for a lot of plants and even more so if against a light colored surface (reflected light). Unfortunately, the vast majority of vines happy under these conditions tend to flower white. Clematis armandii is particularly suited to shade and while most common is a white selection, you could look for the cultivar 'Appleblossom', which has dark pink buds and pale, blush pink flowers. Various other clematis hybrids have some degree of shade tolerance - 'Nelly Moser' is often included in this group but look for others. Akebia also tolerates quite a lot of shade - there is a purple flowering variety. Fragrant (as is the armandii) but flowers are small and not all that showy.

Another possibility is Japanese climbing hydrangea, Schizophragma hydrangeiodes 'Roseum'.